Sunday Night Thoughts

Posted: September 14th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 50 Comments »

Week 2 isn’t quite over, but we have a few interesting things to talk about.

Let’s start in DC, where Sunday was a case of Heaven and Hell. The Skins blew out the Jags, 41-10. That win isn’t the headline, though. RG3 suffered a nasty injury and will be out for a while. He dislocated his ankle and it wasn’t pretty to watch. Best guess is that he’ll be out for 6 to 8 weeks. Old friend DeSean Jackson had a rough day as well. He got driven to the ground while trying to make a catch. Jackson suffered a sprained shoulder. No word on how severe it is or what his prognosis is. Jackson looked to be in serious pain.

These injuries are of particular interest since the Eagles play the Skins next Sunday. Kirk Cousins came in and played lights out in place of Griffin. The whole offense functioned well. You can bet the Skins performance will have the Eagles attention when they start studying that tape on Tuesday.

We do have to ask a question about the Jags. Since opening up a 17-0 lead 16 minutes into the season, they have been out-scored 75-10. Yikes. I thought defense was supposed to be Gus Bradley’s specialty. Right now they look like the worst team in the NFL. Some might argue the Raiders, but I’m going with Jacksonville.

* * * * *

Dallas played much better this week and beat the Titans 26-10. When they run the ball, they are tough to beat. It astounds me that Jason Garrett can’t get that. The man has an Ivy League education.

* * * * *

The Giants stink. They got a huge break in not having to play Carson Palmer and still found a way to lose to the Cardinals…who were on the road. Eli threw a pair of INTs (does that sound familiar?) and Ted Ginn burned them for a long PR TD.

There is some good news for the G-men. They lost 35-14 last week. This week it was 25-14. I’m assuming next week will be 15-14. In Week 4 they should prevail, 14-5.

So there’s that.

* * * * *

The Saints are 0-2. Ouch.

Rob Ryan’s defense gave up 568 yards last week. This week they failed to hold a lead against Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland Browns. The whole world blew sunshine up Rob’s skirt last year. He better turn things around quickly if he wants to keep his reputation from last year.

* * * * *

I loved seeing Seattle lose. They have a really good team and a great defense. But let’s pump the brakes on talking about their place in history until we see a bit more of them. History is filled with plenty of teams that won a title. The special ones win multiple titles and dominate for several years.

* * * * *

I was surprised to see the Lions and Falcons lose the way they did today. Not sure what to make of those teams.

Tampa is 0-2. Lovie Smith is a terrific coach, but his teams just don’t score points. And that makes life tough.

* * * * *

I love Andy Reid to death, but there are times in every KC game where I am so glad he is not the Eagles coach any more. I hated when he called the flood play inside the 10 and had Alex Smith roll to the right. That play worked maybe once a year,  but failed over and over. Sure enough Smith had to throw the ball away.

I have no idea why Big Red didn’t go for it on 4th and a foot from midfield. He punted. Peyton marched right down the field and scored. Ugh.

Some of the Red Zone playcalling (beyond the flood play) got to me. And KC went 2 for 4 in the RZ. That wasn’t good enough to beat the Broncos. You have to get TDs to beat Peyton.

* * * * *

It was good to see former Eagle Jason Avant catch a TD pass. Hope he has a good year for the Panthers.

_


50 Comments on “Sunday Night Thoughts”

  1. 1 sprawl said at 11:09 PM on September 14th, 2014:

    Did you watch any of Chad Henne today? I was just watching the play-by-play lines scroll by during the game so I can’t comment with any authority but I don’t know how long he can keep that starting position ahead of Bortles based on the results

  2. 2 Charlie Kelly said at 11:26 PM on September 14th, 2014:

    that OL is terrible. thats why they wont be starting him

  3. 3 bdbd20 said at 8:16 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    This. Henne is there to take the punishment until the O-line learns how to play.

    Bortles probably won’t see the field until next year, perhaps with a stud LT taken with the #1 pick.

  4. 4 Charlie Kelly said at 5:04 PM on September 15th, 2014:

    i think they should invest all that cap space into the best FA possible includinhg that 1st round pick… never a good thing to pin hopes to a rookie.. esp a rookie OT…

  5. 5 anon said at 11:24 PM on September 14th, 2014:

    We shouldn’t pat our backs too much about jags, maybe be more worried about the 0-17 start. EVERYONE looks beatable. Keap is giving the game away in SF.

  6. 6 deshawnbentley said at 11:25 PM on September 14th, 2014:

    Kyle Fuller looking great. 2 INTs

  7. 7 Mitchell said at 11:25 PM on September 14th, 2014:

    In other news: Kyle Fuller is looking pretty good tonight for the Bears. Has 2 ints!

    In other other news: Can someone please link me the details with the Bryce Brown train? I can not find them……

  8. 8 sprawl said at 11:51 PM on September 14th, 2014:

    http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2014/5/10/5703732/bryce-brown-traded-to-buffalo-bills-from-philadelphia-eagles it’s pretty confusing and they still haven’t really used Bryce Brown in Buffalo. They had a lot of injuries at RB last year so it is good insurance anyway

  9. 9 D3FB said at 12:10 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Fuller>Gilbert

  10. 10 Mitchell said at 1:32 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Totally agree man, I knew Fuller was good and would gladly admit that pre-draft. Tonight took it to a whole other level! I hope we can get a real nice corner next year.

  11. 11 D3FB said at 8:39 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    P.J. Williams and Marcus Peters are both excellent players.

  12. 12 Anders said at 2:47 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I loved fuller pre draft. Him and Barr was clear on top for me and I thought fuller should have went top 10. Scary is his little brother might be an even better cb prospect already and he is only a sophomore

  13. 13 Maggie said at 1:03 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24557207/eagles-trade-rb-bryce-brown-to-bills-for-conditional-draft-pick

  14. 14 mksp said at 11:52 PM on September 14th, 2014:

    I’m still pissed Kyle Fuller didn’t make it to us. I knew he wouldn’t, but I was holding out hope. My biggest draft crush last year.

  15. 15 Ark87 said at 12:09 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Can’t believe I stuck through that whole Sunday Night game, so many penalties, it was nearly unwatchable. Also it was a little funny to watch the Bears recievers sort of figre out that even though they couldn’t run tonight with their injuries, they could just dominate by being big, get to the endzone turn around ball is in a place where only you can get it because…hey you’re big!

    Jay Cutler might be the most hot or cold player I’ve seen. When he is on, he uses his talent (which is as good as anybody in the league) to be as good as anybody in the league. Other times he just makes bad decisions. but it always comes in streaks The second half tonight, he was on and it was impressive.

    About the Seattle loss, I was glad to see a QB not ignore Sherman, that whole thing was silly. Sherman is a great CB, but he isn’t THAT guy, especially with the rules changes going after his game.

  16. 16 anon said at 12:15 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    yeah SF looked bad, mainly kaep looked bad. 49ers really beat themselves. But shows the importance of converting in the red zone. 49ers didn’t have an answer for those big receivers.

  17. 17 Sean Stott said at 12:21 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    What a great Sunday.

    The Saints lost.

    The Seahawks lost.

    The overrated Niners lost.

  18. 18 anon said at 12:44 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    giants and falcons lost.

  19. 19 Mitchell said at 1:31 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    You know what the best part about Sunday is? Knowing you will win tomorrow!

  20. 20 Anders said at 2:45 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    If we win and that will be tough, we sit a top of the nfc with only the Panthers

  21. 21 sonofdman said at 5:49 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    and Cardinals

  22. 22 Maggie said at 1:00 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Jason Garrett is not allowed to call plays, remember?

  23. 23 A_T_G said at 8:09 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I think Jerry is actually calling the plays from his owners box now, third base coach-style. If he touches the brim of his cap, it is a run. If he fondles the breasts of a woman in the box, it is a pass. You can see where the problem arises…

  24. 24 BC1968 said at 10:56 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    You mean he’s Mr Burns?

  25. 25 Maggie said at 4:04 PM on September 15th, 2014:

    “The Dallas Cowboys have a head coach who used to call plays, an offense coordinator who called them last year and now a new, separate play-caller, hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan as passing game coordinator.

    So not only do the Cowboys have an offensive-minded head coach who isn’t allowed to call plays, but the guy calling plays in place of Garret isn’t allowed to call them either .[Callahan] I’m sure this will totally go over well with the other members of the staff.

    Wait. What? If the Cowboys do like Callahan, why not just let him call the plays? Oh, so that he can be a potential replacement for Jason Garrett. What?! So the Cowboys want to have the option of replacing Garrett with the guy that they hired to replace Garrett as a play-caller but then lost his own play-calling duty to Scott Linehan? Oy vey.”

    Excerpts from BGN. Don’t forget the changing DC every 5 minutes or so as well.

  26. 26 McNabbulousness said at 2:17 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    im not afraid to say it; kirk cousins scares me

  27. 27 Anders said at 2:44 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Why? Have you seen his career stats?

  28. 28 FairOaks said at 6:26 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    It’s possible (likely) that he runs Gruden’s offense much better than RGIII. We don’t have much on how well that combo does. But yeah, more a fear of the unknown.

  29. 29 Anders said at 12:36 PM on September 15th, 2014:

    You mean the fearfull Gruden offense who was league average with great talent with the Bengals?

  30. 30 bdbd20 said at 8:18 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I get the nervousness, but the defense should be able to use a similar gameplan as Indy. RG3’s running ability has to be accounted for. Kirk will sit in the pocket. Obviously coverage will be key. Holding them to FG’s will be paramount.

  31. 31 Mike Roman said at 8:36 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I always hated that flood play in the red zone. You’re already working against a short field and then you cut the field in half on top of it. It just never made sense to me. Good think that Reid kept 5 RBs, he’s going to need them. And he actually gave Kniles Davis 22 carries? Wow, that’s shocking.

    So, I drove 5 hours home from the mountains yesterday and was psyched to sit on my couch and watch some football. CBS Philly was showing the Jets. Ugh. The disappointment was similar to being 6 years old and getting clothes for Christmas. How about our boy Marty Mornhinweg?

  32. 32 anon said at 8:41 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I would have fired Marty on the spot – he blew a HUGE win for them. It’s good to see the jets run the ball more. GB has to be really concerned about it’s defense. AR is a beast.

  33. 33 RobNE said at 9:02 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I’m thinking Bears might win the division. They scare me. I really like their coach. He is, um, putting their guys in position to succeed. Hey you big WR, go to the end zone and turn around.

  34. 34 Mike Roman said at 11:54 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Going into the season I wasn’t sure what to make of the Bears and I still don’t. They lose at home to Buffalo and then come from behind to beat San Fran on the road. Green Bay is like the Colts of the NFC. They’ll go as far as the QB will take them. The Saints defense decided to start playing like the Saints defense again so they’re looking human. Tonight’s game is going to tell us if we are ready to compete in the conference, which suddenly doesn’t look too daunting.

  35. 35 Ark87 said at 9:03 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    well he blew a huge tie at least. Just one of those things where the game was on the line, he saw something that spelled disaster….and then it didn’t, not to mention he isn’t even allowed to call time out by NFL rules, ref should have ignored him. Just one of those disasters.

  36. 36 anon said at 9:39 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Calling pass plays inside 2 minutes at the end of the 1st half? Even i knew just run the ball — make field goals.

  37. 37 daveH said at 9:01 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    “…History is filled with plenty of teams that won a title… ”

    hated reading this sentence because, ok ill say the obvious .. you wont find eagles on this list, one time and you have to go back 50 years.
    .
    “love andy reid to death” ..gross. hate the guy. for many reasons ..how about his win/loss pct is almost th same as kotite’s. how about his tactic of .. aw forget it ..here is something cool I read – calling him what so many of us knew ..the dumbest coach in nfl 2012 : from colhardfoootballfacts dot com

    http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/nfls-dumbest-teams-chip-kelly-must-re-educate-philadelphia-eagles/22803/

  38. 38 RobNE said at 9:07 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I hear you and share a lot of the same frustration, but I’m not sure what that article is proving or trying to prove. Didn’t Eagles just about lead the NFL in turnover margin that year? And turnovers can be stupid, or can be luck (I think both). I’m not sure what it means to call them stupid. That would be like dumb penalties, not needing extra yards to score b/c of turnovers.

    He had lots of faults, I’m just not sure this article proves any of them.

  39. 39 Henly125 said at 9:14 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I was hoping the 49ers took out the Bears… As I wanted it to be us to give them their first home loss at the new stadium.

  40. 40 GEAGLE said at 10:07 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    31-20 Eagles

  41. 41 anon said at 10:09 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    You never know. Could be the saints game, could not be the saints game.

  42. 42 P_P_K said at 10:26 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    27-24 Eagles

  43. 43 ridusofreid said at 10:18 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    How about Reid saying its” on me” as to why they stopped running the ball in the first game. This guy coaches with blinders on. Also challenging calls incorrectly. KC can have him

  44. 44 barneygoogle said at 11:00 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    I wonder if RG3 is on Chip Kelly’s radar? If the skins want to unload his contract in 2015–would Kelly want him as his great reclaimation project? Imagine the offense Chip could design with him. Interesting, especially if Foles has an erratic season. And Chip does like to think two steps ahead.

  45. 45 botto said at 12:51 PM on September 15th, 2014:

    thats a great idea, run some read options and then oh wait he will get hurt like all running quaterbacks do always.

  46. 46 barneygoogle said at 1:43 PM on September 15th, 2014:

    I would think Kelly would use him more wisely, utilizing his speed to set up throws, more than runs.
    After all his injuries, the sale price may come down, and it might be really interesting if he could replace Sanchez next year with RG3, and see what develops.
    I like Nick, but I just do not think Kelly is married to Foles.

  47. 47 jay ray said at 1:53 PM on September 15th, 2014:

    oh, cut it out.

  48. 48 barneygoogle said at 5:27 PM on September 15th, 2014:

    Like I said—can you think two steps ahead? Suppose Foles is not a top 10 QB this year, and Sanchez decides to move on. RG3 would be a nice “rehab project.” We could afford him and Foles in 2015.

  49. 49 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 11:03 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Jac is just awful. They had 1 yd of offense mid-way through the 2nd quarter. Cousins shredded them. The Eagles victory against them week one tells me nothing about this team other than they have the character to turn things around that many of Reid’s teams did not. I don’t know what to expect tonight.

  50. 50 anon said at 11:17 AM on September 15th, 2014:

    Feel bad for whoever plays SEA next week. Gonna be tough. Now understand more about Boyking playing in slot only. Make me think we match up well against SEA — maybe that’s been the point all along.